Remote outlet vane control system

ABSTRACT

An air vent includes a housing extending between an inlet opening and an outlet opening, such that the housing defines a substantially closed air path between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. A first vane is disposed within the air path and is configured to rotate about a first axis. A second vane is disposed within the air path and is configured to rotate about a second axis, which is substantially orthogonal to the first axis. A controller is configured to rotate the first vane about the first axis and to rotate the second vane about the second axis. The controller is disposed outside of the air path, such that both the first vane and the second vane are adjustable from outside of the air path.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to an air vent, and air vent controls,such as those used in vehicles, equipment, and the like.

BACKGROUND

Many passenger vehicles include a heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (HVAC) system that allows a vehicle occupant to control thetemperature or adjust other settings of a vehicle interior. Forinstance, a fan or blower circulates conditioned air to the vehicleinterior through one or more vents.

SUMMARY

An air vent for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system,such as those used in vehicles and other equipment, is provided. The airvent includes a housing extending generally longitudinally between aninlet opening and an outlet opening, such that the housing defines asubstantially closed air path between the inlet opening and the outletopening.

A first vane is disposed within the air path and is configured to rotateabout a first axis. A second vane is disposed within the air path and isconfigured to rotate about a second axis, which is substantiallyorthogonal to the first axis.

A controller is configured to rotate the first vane about the first axisand to rotate the second vane about the second axis. The controller isdisposed outside of the air path, such that both the first vane and thesecond vane are adjustable from outside of the air path.

The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages, ofthe present subject matter are readily apparent from the followingdetailed description of some of the best modes and other embodiments forcarrying out the disclosed structures, methods, or both.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic, isometric view of an air vent usable with vehicleor other HVAC systems.

FIG. 2 is a schematic, exploded view of the air vent shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic, front view of the air vent shown in FIGS. 1-2directing exit flow downward.

FIG. 4 is a schematic, isometric view of the air vent shown in FIGS.1-3, with an outer housing removed for illustrative purposes, shown witha controller directing exit flow downward and to the left.

FIG. 5 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the air vent takengenerally along a line 5-5 of FIG. 3, illustrating the air ventdirecting exit flow downward.

FIG. 6 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of the air vent takengenerally along a line 6-6 of FIG. 3, illustrating the controller of theair vent directing exit flow downward.

FIG. 7 is a schematic, partially exploded view of the air vent shown inFIGS. 1-7, illustrating a spherical gear of the controller.

FIG. 8 is a schematic, cross-sectional top view of the air vent takengenerally along a line 8-8 of FIG. 3, illustrating the controller of theair vent directing exit flow leftward.

FIG. 9 is a schematic, cross-sectional top view of the air vent takenfrom the same viewpoint as FIG. 8, illustrating the controller of theair vent substantially closing off or preventing exit flow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers correspond tolike or similar components whenever possible throughout the severalfigures, there is shown in FIG. 1 an isometric view of an air vent 10for a vehicle 12. Only a portion of the vehicle 12—in particular, adashboard 14, is shown schematically in FIG. 1—to illustrate possiblesurroundings for the structures described herein. The air vent 10 may bepart of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

While the present disclosure may be described with respect to specificapplications or industries, those skilled in the art will recognize thebroader applicability of the disclosure. Those having ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upward,”“downward,” et cetera, are used descriptively of the figures, and do notrepresent limitations on the scope of the disclosure, as defined by theappended claims. Any numerical designations, such as “first” or “second”are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure in any way.

Features shown in one figure may be combined with, substituted for, ormodified by, features shown in any of the figures. Unless statedotherwise, no features, elements, or limitations are mutually exclusiveof any other features, elements, or limitations. Furthermore, nofeatures, elements, or limitations are absolutely required foroperation. Any specific configurations shown in the figures areillustrative only and the specific configurations shown are not limitingof the claims or the description.

Referring also to FIG. 2, and with continued reference to FIG. 1, thereis shown an exploded view of the air vent 10. A housing 20 extendslongitudinally and defines an inlet opening 22 and an outlet opening 24.In the example configuration shown, the inlet opening 22 is at leastpartially defined by an inlet plate 26 and the outlet opening 24 is atleast partially defined by a face plate 28. Both the inlet opening 22and the outlet opening 24 are transversely oriented, such that the airvent has a low or thin profile but is capable to transferring asubstantial volume of air. Note that the structures described herein maybe useful with other shapes or geometries of the air vent 10.

The face plate 28 is generally flush with the surrounding structure, forexample the dashboard 14, into which the air vent 10 is mounted. Thehousing 20 defines an air path 30 between the inlet opening 22 and theoutlet opening 24. The air path 30 may be substantially closed in someembodiments. The air vent 10 directs airflow from the air path 30 intothe vehicle 12 along a selectable direction referred to as an exitvector or exit flow 32 in the examples shown.

The inlet plate 26 and the face plate 28 may be considered portions ofthe housing 20. As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 2, the housing 20may be formed from additional components, such as a plenum 34, an upperplate 35 and a lower plate 36.

In addition to the dashboard 14 shown schematically in the figures, theair vent 10 may be located in other portions or areas of the vehicle 12.For example, and without limitation, the air vent 10 may be mounted in:a center stack or console positioned between the driver-side seat andthe passenger-side seats; in one of the front or rear passenger seats;within a ceiling or floor; or within one or more pillars (i.e., anA-pillar or B-pillar, such that the air vent 10 may be verticallyoriented). Furthermore, the air vent 10 may be incorporated inapplications other than vehicles. For example, it could be applied toresidential or commercial furniture, such as recliners or couches. Inaddition, the air vent 10 may also be incorporated into HVAC systems ofbuildings or mobile housing in still other embodiments.

A first vane 41 is movably disposed within the air path 30. The firstvane 41 is configured to rotate about a first axis, which is generallyhorizontal in the figures. The first vane 41 directs or moves the exitflow 32 along a first direction, the vertical direction. In theconfiguration shown, the first vane 41 is a single blade.

A second vane 42 is movably disposed within the air path 30. The secondvane 42 is configured to rotate about a second axis, a vertical axisthat is substantially orthogonal to the first axis. The second vane 42directs or alters the exit flow 32 through the outlet opening 24 in asecond direction, which is the horizontal direction in the figures. Inthe configuration shown, the second vane 42 is formed from a pluralityof smaller blades, as compared to the single blade of the first vane 41,which may be collectively referred to as the second vane 42. In otherconfigurations, the second vane 42 may be a single blade.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-9, and with continued reference to FIGS. 1-2,there are shown additional views of the air vent 10. These viewsillustrate actuation and operation of the air vent 10 to selectivelychange or direct the exit flow 32 of air delivered by the air vent 10.

FIG. 3 shows the assembled air vent from a front angle view, with theexit flow 32 directed generally downward. FIG. 4 shows an isometric viewof the air vent 10 with the housing 20 hidden from view to illustratehow the first vane 41 and the second vane 42 may be controlled to directthe exit path downward and leftward.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-4, an adjuster or controller 44 is operativelyattached to the first vane 41 and the second vane 42. The first vane 41and the second vane 42 have a mechanical connection to the controller44, as opposed to an electrical (or by wire) connection. In the exampleconfiguration shown, the controller 44 is the only controller foradjustment of the air vent 10, such that it may be referred to as asingle controller. The controller 44 is configured to rotate the firstvane 41 about the first axis (the horizontal axis, in the configurationshown) and also to rotate the second vane 42 and the second axis (thevertical axis, in the configuration shown). Therefore, the controller 44simultaneously alters, adjusts, or controls two directions or axes ofvariation in air flow from the air vent 10, such that the controller 44is the only device adjusting air flow from the air vent 10. This allows,in some embodiments, for the air flow to be controlled without anyadditional control knobs or sticks.

Note that the controller 44 shown is disposed entirely outside of theair path 30, such that both the first vane 41 and the second vane 42 areadjusted and controlled from outside of the air path 30. If thecontroller 44, or any associated linkages, were located inside of theair path 30, those control systems could restrict the flow of airthrough the air vent 10.

The controller 44 may be effecting movement of the first vane 41 and thesecond vane 42 individually, or may be simultaneously adjusting movementof both the first vane 41 and the second vane 42—i.e., dual-axis controlover the exit flow 32 from the controller 44. As shown in FIG. 4, theexit flow 32 is directed downward and leftward, without requirement forthe user to manipulate two different control knobs, sliders, or sticks.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a cross section of the air vent 10taken generally along a line 5-5 of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 schematicallyillustrates a cross section of the air vent 10 taken generally along aline 6-6 of FIG. 3, which sections the controller 44. FIG. 7 shows apartially exploded isometric view of the air vent 10, and illustratesthe components of the controller 44. In FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the controller44 is adjusting the air vent 10 to direct the exit flow 32 downward.

As shown by FIGS. 3-7, the controller 44 actuates the first vane 41 andthe second vane 42 to direct air flowing through the air path 30. InFIGS. 3-6, the first vane 41 is oriented or aligned to direct the exitflow 32 downward. Note that, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the first vane 41closes off the lower region of the housing 20, which forces air to moveabove the first vane 41. However, the housing 20 has a barrel shape justprior to the outlet opening 24. This barrel shape—particularly, theportion formed in the upper plate 35—directs air downward when the lowerportion is closed off by the first vane 41.

As best viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7, the controller 44 of the air vent 10 informed as two separate pieces. The controller 44 includes a thumb knob50 and a control stick 52, which are linked by a spherical gear 54partially formed on both components.

The thumb knob 50 extends forward beyond the face plate 28, such thatthe thumb knob 50 is outside of the housing 20 and accessible to theuser or operator. The control stick 52 is behind the face plate 28 andis operatively connected to the first vane 41 and the second vane 42.

In use, the operator moves the thumb knob 50 to point in the samedirection that the operator desires of the exit flow 32. Via thespherical gear 54, the thumb knob 50 rotates the control stick 52 in theopposite the direction of movement or rotation of the thumb knob 50.

The spherical gear 54, as best viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7, allowsconnection between the thumb knob 50 and the control stick 52 atsubstantially any angle. Furthermore, the thumb knob 50 translatesrotation to the control stick 52 about two axes simultaneously forsmooth, and direct, movement between positions of the controller 44. Forany cross section taken through the center of the controller 44, thespherical gear 54 portions of the thumb knob 50 and the control stick 52will look substantially identical to the section shown in FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 7, a tie rod 60 is connected toeach blade of the second vane 42 and a slot arm 62 is pivotallyconnected to the tie rod 60. The slot arm 62 transfers horizontalmovement of the control stick 52 to the tie rod 60, but a slot definedperpendicularly to the tie rod 60 allows the control stick 52 totranslate within the slot vertically relative to the tie rod 60.Therefore, leftward and rightward movement of the thumb knob 50 istransferred by the control stick 52 to tie rod 60—as leftward andrightward movement, respectively—but upward and downward movement isnot.

The blades of the second vane 42 pivot about the second axes via anchorpoints formed in the housing 20. Therefore, linear translation of thetie rod 60 causes the blades of the second vane 42 to rotate.

As best viewed in the FIGS. 6 and 7, a pin 64 is formed in the controlstick 52 and a vane arm 66 extends from the first vane 41. The pin 64connects the vane arm 66 to the control stick 52. When the control stick52 moves vertically, the vane arm 66 and the first vane 41 rotate aboutthe first axis, which alters the vertical orientation of the exit flow32. However, when the control stick 52 moves horizontally, the vane arm66 allows the control stick 52 to pivot about the pin 64, such that nohorizontal movement is transferred from the control stick 52 to thefirst vane 41.

Note that the thumb knob 50 points in substantially the same directionas the exit flow 32 from the outlet opening 24. In the configuration ofFIG. 3, the thumb knob 50 is pointed downward, such that the second vane42 is generally straight and the first vane 41 is angled downward -i.e., closing off air flow through the lower portion of the housing 20 -and the exit flow 32 is generally downward.

Similarly, in the configuration of FIG. 4, the thumb knob 50 is pointeddownward and leftward. In this configuration, the second vane 42 isangled to the left and the first vane 41 is angled downward, such thatthe exit flow 32 is generally downward and leftward. The relationshipbetween the direction of the thumb knob 50 and the exit flow 32 may notbe exact. However, it is more intuitive for the operator of the air vent10 to point the controller 44 generally in the direction desired of theexit flow 32 than to have to reverse a stick or knob relative to thedesired flow.

FIGS. 8 and 9 further illustrate horizontal adjustment, and completeclosure, of the air vent 10. FIG. 8 shows the air vent 10 directing theexit flow 32 to the left, and FIG. 9 shows the air vent 10 blocking theair path 30, such that there is substantially no exit flow 32 in FIG. 9.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectioned generally along a line 8-8 of FIG. 3. Note,however, that in order to illustrate the interaction between the tie rod60 and the second vane 42, the housing 20 is shown with aplane-intersection view in FIGS. 8 and 9, such that portions of thehousing 20 beyond the section plane, such as portions of the lower plate36 and the inlet plate 26, are hidden from view.

As the thumb knob 50 is moved leftward, the spherical gear 54 causes thecontrol stick 52 to also move leftward. The slot arm 62 translates thehorizontal movement of the control stick 52 to the tie rod 60. Note thatthe slot arm 62 rotates slightly, to maintain contact with the controlstick 52, about the end of the tie rod 60.

Leftward movement of the tie rod 60 applies twist to the pivot points ofthe blades of the second vane 42, such that they pivot clockwise (asviewed in FIGS. 8 and 9) and direct air to the left. As shown in FIGS. 8and 9, the control stick 52 pivots about the vane arm 66 on the pin 64.

The first vane 41 is supported by, and pivots at, cradle points on thehousing 20, in particular on the lower plate 36 and the upper plate 35.The second vane 42 is supported by, and pivots at, cradle points on thehousing 20, in particular on the plenum 34. The control stick 52 of thecontroller 44 is supported by, and pivots at, the vane arm 66. The thumbknob 50 of the controller 44 is supported by, and pivots at, the faceplate 28 and a corresponding portion of the lower plate 36.

In the position shown in FIG. 9, the thumb knob 50 is moved to the farleft. This causes the control stick 52 to move the tie rod 60 further tothe left, which results in additional rotation of the second vane 42.This position effectively closes the air vent 10 and prevents any flowthrough the air path 30, such that the operator may selectively stopairflow completely, which is beneficial in configurations havingmultiple air vents 10.

The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive anddescriptive of the subject matter discussed herein. While some of thebest modes and other embodiments for have been described in detail,various alternative designs, configurations, and embodiments exist.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An air vent for a heating, ventilation, andair conditioning system, the air vent comprising: a housing defining aninlet opening and an outlet opening, wherein the housing further definesan air path extending between the inlet opening and the outlet opening;a first vane disposed within the air path and configured to rotate abouta first axis; a second vane disposed within the air path and configuredto rotate about a second axis, which is orthogonal to the first axis; acontroller configured to rotate the first vane about the first axis andto rotate the second vane about the second axis, wherein the controlleris disposed outside of the air path, such that both the first vane andthe second vane are adjustable from outside of the air path, wherein thecontroller simultaneously adjusts both the first vane about the firstaxis and the second vane about the second axis; a thumb knob extendingoutside of the housing; and a control stick operatively connected to thefirst vane and the second vane, wherein the thumb knob points in thesame direction as the exit flow from the outlet opening; and a sphericalgear linking the thumb knob to the control stick, such that the thumbknob translates rotation to the control stick about two axessimultaneously.
 2. The air vent of claim 1, wherein the controllerselectively rotates the second vane about the second axis to block airflow through the air path.
 3. The air vent of claim 2, furthercomprising: a tie rod operatively connected to, and configured torotate, the second vane about the second axis; and a slot armoperatively connected to, and configured to translate, the tie rod,wherein the slot arm defines a slot in which the control sticktranslates perpendicular to the tie rod.
 4. The air vent of claim 3,wherein the control stick pivots about the first vane.
 5. An air ventfor a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, the air ventcomprising: a housing defining an inlet opening and an outlet opening,wherein the housing further defines an air path between the inletopening and the outlet opening; a first vane disposed within the airpath and configured to rotate about a first axis; a second vane disposedwithin the air path and configured to rotate about a second axis, whichis substantially orthogonal to the first axis; and a controllerconfigured to rotate the first vane about the first axis and to rotatethe second vane about the second axis, wherein the controller isdisposed outside of the air path, such that both the first vane and thesecond vane are adjustable from outside of the air path, and includes: athumb knob extending outside of the housing; a control stick operativelyconnected to the first vane and the second vane; and a spherical gearlinking the thumb knob to the control stick, such that the thumb knobtranslates rotation to the control stick about two axes simultaneously,wherein the thumb knob points in substantially the same direction as theexit flow from the outlet opening.
 6. The air vent of claim 5, furthercomprising: a tie rod operatively connected to, and configured torotate, the second vane about the second axis; and a slot armoperatively connected to, and configured to translate, the tie rod,wherein the slot arm defines a slot in which the control sticktranslates substantially perpendicularly to the tie rod.
 7. The air ventof claim 6, wherein the control stick pivots about the first vane.